Close Behind: A Treasure Planet Story
by PepperVaughn
Summary: Four years after the voyage to Treasure Planet. Jim Hawkins chases after the people who took Charlotte, hoping to find her alive. Will he make it in time or will he loose her forever. JimxOC. Mature content: adult language, sexual content, and violence. I do not own Treasure Planet or any of it's elements.
1. Chapter 1

It had been four long years since Jim Hawkins had gone to Treasure Planet. Those who had come home from the voyage had moved on with their lives as quickly as possible. The inn was rebuilt, The Doctor and Captain Amelia were married and had a litter of children, and Charlotte Collins had settled into her independent lifestyle. Though Jim had gone off to the academy and was not home very often or for very long, the two of them had sustained the relationship they had started on the _R.L.S. Legacy_, falling more and more in love despite the distance between them.

Now that Jim had graduated and accepted the rare offer to become a captain of an small discovery vessel, he was home for a few months before his first assignment. He'd made plans in his head to spend as much time as he could with his mother, Sarah Hawkins, and Charlotte while also preparing for the next few years. His assignment on a discovery vessel meant that he and his crew would spend more time in uncharted space.

* * *

Kissing her cheek, Jim said goodbye to his mother and left the inn on his old solar surfer to make it to Charlotte's apartment as quickly as possible. When he reached the building he let himself in the front gate with the key that Charlotte had given him when she first moved in. As he climbed the stairs to her apartment, Jim could hear the beat of her music and smiled, she would be cleaning up and getting ready for their date tonight.

She wasn't expecting him until later and didn't know that he was staying there, Jim always liked to surprise her because of the way she blushed when she got excited. The front door to her place wasn't locked, and Jim slid into the room quietly. The living room was sparingly decorated but homey, warm reds and gold woven through all the decor and there was a small fire in the fire place. The music was louder now that he was inside, some electronic sounding dance music pouring out of the bedroom. With a mischievous grin, Jim advanced to the open bedroom door. He could smell Charlotte's shampoo and soap from the door way and knew that she had just gotten out of the shower.

Standing with her back to him, was Charlotte. Her long dark auburn hair was wet and brushing her shoulder blades as she danced in front of her closet. The black silk robe, she'd bought last winter, hung loosely off her shoulders as she flicked through her clothes. Jim watched her from the doorway, leaning against the frame and crossing his arms over his chest. She was stunning, even from behind, and she was his. Unconsciously, his hand dropped to his pants pocket, fingering the ring box he was hiding.

Finally loosing control, Jim pushed off the door frame and came up behind Charlotte, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her back against him. It took her a second for her to stop dancing even though her body was pressed against his and Jim held in a groan. Pressing his mouth to Charlotte's ear, he kissed it gently.

"You know it doesn't matter what you wear, right?" He said, not moving away. Her body relaxed against him at the sound of his voice.

"Then I'll just wear this." She said before she spun in his arms to face him. She smiled wide at him, a pink flush ran across her cheeks and over her nose, and her bright blue eyes held the shine of her smile.

"I'm okay with that." He pulled his eyes away from her face and let them trail down the neckline of her robe to the bit of lace bra that was peaking out, catching her smirk with the corner of of his eye.

"What are you doing here? You're early." She said, her hands moving to lay on his chest. Her touch made him tense and Jim knew that she could feel it.

"I, uh, got us a few days of free time. No work, no obligations, no inn. Just you and me." He leaned down to her lips, kissing her. Bouncing up on her toes she meet him, pushing against him enthusiastically.

"Alone time, I like the sound of that." She kissed him again. "It's been a very long time since we were alone for more than an hour." She snickered, shifting against his hips as she said it. The look on her face, sultry and loving at the same time, was the final straw. Jim crashed his lips against hers passionately, shifting her away from the closet toward the bed. She pulled away, laughing against his lips, but allowed him to keep moving her backwards.

"What about dinner?" She asked, her eyes flicking up to meet his as Jim trailed his hands down the opening of the silk robe to the tie.

"We can have dinner later, yeah?" The robe fell open, leaving Charlotte in her black lace undergarments. Jim's hands slid over her bare skin around her sides to pull her closer to him. When he looked back to her eyes Charlotte was pouting jokingly.

"Or we can go eat now." Jim said. He pulled his hands away from her skin, turned and marched toward the door. Ever nerve ending in his body was screaming at him to turn around, but he waited and smirked as he walked away. After two steps he felt her small hands on his arm, pulling him back around to face her. As she pulled him back into a kiss Charlotte maneuvered his jacket off his shoulders, letting it slip onto the floor. Her robe soon followed as she spun Jim so that he was moving backwards toward the bed, her body pressed against his.

"Dinner can wait." Charlotte said airily as she pushed him down on the mattress, her body sliding on top of his.

* * *

They lay together in the knot of her sheets, breathless, and Charlotte smiled. She could feel the heat radiating off Jim's skin beside her and relished in the comfort. It had been two years since they had had a whole weekend to themselves. His graduation meant that she could have him back for a while and she didn't feel like letting that slip by. Even so, in the back of her mind she could feel her curosity taking over. How long would he be able to stay with her? How long would he be gone when he did leave?

"Jim?" She called softly, fearing that he may have drifted to sleep. He didn't say anything, just pulled her close to his side, leaving no space between them. With a soft laugh Charlotte settled her head on his chest, listening intently to the rhythmic beating of his heart. She had meant to ask him how long he'd be before he shipped out, but the sound of his heart and the warmth of his skin changed her mind. She didn't want to worry about the future, just enjoy the time she had with him.

"I missed you." He said suddenly, making her look up at him.

"I missed you too." She smiled at him with a little sadness. "But I don't have to miss you now." Jim's eyes showed a flicker of something Charlotte couldn't quite understand. Sadness, maybe? Or guilt? But it was gone so fast that she had to move on.

"I know that I haven't been around as much as you'd like. Or as much as I'd like." He stared at the ceiling as he spoke but Charlotte focused on him. "I hope that you can -"

"Jim, I love you." Charlotte cut him off as he spoke. "You were doing what you needed to. I'm here, I'll always be here when you get back. You know that, right?" He looked a bit taken aback, his eyes snapping to stare into hers.

"Of course I do." He placed his hand on her cheek, leaning down to kiss her softly. "I love you, too." Charlotte smiled but she could feel her eyes getting heavy. The soft beating of Jim's heart was mesmerizing as she lay beside Jim with her eyes closed.

"Good night, Charlie." Jim whispered to her.

* * *

For hours, Jim lay with Charlotte beside him, her head on his chest. He lay there, looking down on her. The way her dark hair lay sprawled across his chest and the way she clutched at his side as she slept. His mind was racing, he couldn't sleep. He could feel the weight of the ring box that was now in his discarded slacks on the floor. How could he expect her to say yes to him when he would be gone more than he would be there? The more the question replied in his mind, the more restless he became. Finally, after hours of mental agony, Jim slipped out of Charlotte's grasp and picked up his clothes off the floor.

Although she stirred a bit when he first climbed out of bed, Charlotte had settled now, she lay on her side as if Jim was still laying beside her. He watched her sleep for a minute before he slipped out the door and downstairs. Going on a walk would ease his mind, he could think clearly without the weight and sight of Charlotte so near to him. Heading out toward town Jim tucked his hands in his pockets and let his mind wander.

She said she'd always be there, but what would happen if they had a child. If Charlotte was left at home to work at the inn and raise their child while he was away. What if he became his father. What if he went out on adventures and left her here more and more. He couldn't ask her to sit and wait for him. He didn't want her to live like his mother had lived. The right thing would be to let her go, to walk away and let her make a life for herself with someone that could be there.

Jim's selfish mind took over at the thought of saying good-bye to the only girl that he had ever really loved. He didn't want her with anyone else. He wanted to call her _his_ wife, _his_ love. She said she would wait for him, be there when he got home. That reason alone would give him something to come home to.

And he wasn't his father, he was never going to be his father. He had seen the pain his father had caused. He would never make Charlotte feel the way his mother had felt that day. He didn't have it in him to see Charlotte cry the way his mother had.

As his thoughts cleared Jim realized that he was clear across town, headed toward the inn. Off to his left the sun was coming up, just barely giving a hint of purple to the dark sky. He hadn't realized that he'd been gone for so long and didn't want Charlotte to wake up with him not there, not when he'd been with her when she fell asleep. Picking up the pace, Jim trudged back to Charlotte's apartment, the ring box tight in his hand.

Jim reached the building, and saw that the front gate was open. Had he been that caught up in his thoughts that he forgot to close the door? Looking up to see if Charlotte's light was on in the bedroom he saw that the window was open, it had been closed when he left. Charlotte was awake, and probably worried. Jim jumped the steps two at a time to make it up the stairs quickly. The front door to her apartment was open as well, swung wide to reveal the living room. Jim felt his heart skip a beat and his muscles tensed.

"Charlie?" He called into the dark apartment, moving toward the bedroom as quickly as possible. "Charlie, is everything okay?" He knew it wasn't, he could feel it in the air. He thought back to his laser pistol, sitting in his room back at the inn and cursed himself for not bringing it.

"Charlie!" He called one more time in near desperation. She wasn't answering him. As he entered the bedroom he understood why. The sheets had been ripped off the bed and lay across the floor. Charlotte's clothes were still spread across the room the way the had been when he'd left but one thing was missing. Charlotte.


	2. Chapter 2

Her head was pounding. Through the pounding she could feel that she was cold, freezing. Willing her eyes to open, the little light that was in the room made her head pound and she clinched her eyes shut quickly. Where was she? It smelled different, moldy and dank. The bed she was laying on was lumpy and flat simultaneously. She could smell sweat and dust on it as she lay there. Move, that's what she needed to do, sit up and move. She willed her eyes to open, despite the brightness of the room and the pounding of her head. Her vision was blurry and she couldn't seem more than a few inches in front of her, but in the process of getting up she had realized that her hands were tied behind her and that she was naked. The way she had been when she'd fallen asleep.

Panic bubbled up in her throat, hot and suffocating but Charlotte fought to hold it down. Pulling in forceful deep breaths, she willed her vision to clear. She needed to know where she was before she allowed herself to release her emotions. It took some time for the fog in front of her to clear out. Her head screamed as the wood floor and iron bars of the cell she was in made themselves visible. She was laying on a metal cot with a small grimy cushion on it and there was a small toilet in the corner of the cell, but nothing else. She easily placed herself on the brig of a ship. Outside the bars were a few more cells, all empty, and a stairway that led up, toward the lower decks. She would be at the bottom of the ship, near the hull.

Knowing where she was, tears started to spill down her cheeks. Where was Jim? Why had they taken her? She hadn't gotten a chance to see anyone before they had hit her across the head with something. She assumed that she had a wound from the hit, but without a mirror or the use of her hands she wouldn't be able to tell. Charlotte sat crying for a while, trying to make a plan. Without knowing who had taken her, and why, she couldn't come up with anything. She felt hopeless. Laying down on the dirty cot, she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself.

"Wakey, wakey Princess." A gruff, low voice called down the stairs and the sound of boots on the steps told her that someone was coming down. Charlotte forced herself to swallow her tears and prepared herself to act brave.

* * *

Jim panicked for a while, turning on all the lights in the apartment and looking for something, anything that would explain what was going on. There was nothing. Aside from the open window and the discarded sheet the kidnappers had left nothing. His heart raced and his stomach was clinched but through the haze of rage and fear he knew that he needed to call someone. Picking up the phone in the kitchen his first call was to the Constabulary, and then his mother, and lastly Doctor and Captain Doppler. His mother showed up first, her hair was wild and she was haphazardly dressed.

"Jim, what happened?" She asked. Jim watched her look around the apartment as if this was a joke, as if Charlotte was just going to come out of the bedroom with a smile. When she looked up at him she must have seen the crestfallen look on his face, the fear in his eyes. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. "It's going to be okay. Charlotte's strong." She whispered, rubbing his back comfortingly. In the door way a mechanic voice cleared it's throat.

"Mr. Hawkins, Mrs. Hawkins." Turning, Jim shook his head to clear his mind and went to the door where the two cop bots were waiting. "You reported a missing person?" Nodding, Jim explained what had taken place, his leaving and her being taken and the cops went about the apartment looking for any sign of the kidnappers.

"Could it be she just left?" One questioned. Turning to face Jim.

"No. Her boots are here, and her bag. She wouldn't have gone anywhere without those." Jim stared at the worn, tall black boots that she wore almost everyday. "Not to mention she always makes her bed and picks up before she goes anywhere. She wouldn't have left the apartment like this."

"And the doors were all wide open." His mother added, coming in the room behind him. Jim threw an appreciative smile over his shoulder at her.

From the living room Delbert and Amelia could be heard whispering to each other. Jim had been unable to talk to them since they had shown up, the cops had been busy interrogating him. He need to speak to them, to Captain Amelia, he needed her help more than any other.

"Mr. Hawkins, why don't you and your family head out." The first said.

"Go home." The second added.

"There's nothing here. We'll go back to the station and look for leads."

"If we find anything, we'll let you know." Jim nodded to them curtly, but hesitated before leaving. He glanced around the room, at the discarded clothing still on the floor, at the bed. He could still see her laying there, like she had been when he'd left. A hand laid on his shoulder and he looked down to see his mother staring at him. He turned and left, the group heading back to the inn.

* * *

"Morning, sunshine." A man called, leaning on the bars of Charlotte's cell with a patronizing smile. He didn't look older than thirty, with sun worn skin and a head of long dark hair. Charlotte wouldn't have considered him attractive, but he was not unattractive in any way. He had the built, strong body that came from working on ships for a life time, but he was dressed in a bit more finery. Charlotte assumed his made him the captain. A pirate captain.

"Not speaking to me?" He asked, leaning forward a bit more. Charlotte glared deeply at him, pulling her legs up to cover as much of her body as she could. "That's fine." He turned to walk away.

"Why did you take me?" Charlotte called as he neared the steps. She needed to know what was going on in order to plan a way out. Her voice shook despite her and cursed herself internally. The man spun on his heels, coming back to the cell and opening up the door. He walked in and knelt down to face her.

"I just need some answers. So what say, I cut those ropes and get you some clothes and we have a little conversation?" He smiled, but it never reached his eyes, he was lying.

"Who are you?" Charlotte spit out, her voice holding strong this time.

"Name's Captain Marks. Captain Jonathan Marks. And you're Charlie Collins. Nice to meet you."

"Don't call me that." The sound of her nickname drove chills up her spine in the worst way. His eye twitched a bit but he held his smile.

"Now, _Charlie_, I know that you worked for Captain Silver for a lot of your younger years." Marks reached behind her with a knife and cut the binding on her wrists. They were bruised and raw when she pulled them in front of her. Sitting up she wrapped her arms around her knees to continue shielding herself. "I know that you went with him to find Flint's Trove. I just need you to tell me where it is, then I'll let you go back to your Navy boy." There was malice seeping through his words and still the smile held. As the words sunk in, Charlotte began to laugh.

"Flint's Trove. You want Treasure Planet?" Charlotte laughed and Marks smile finally slipped. He looked both angry and confused but Charlotte laughed on. "Boy, you're in for treat. Went through all the trouble of kidnapping me for a planet that doesn't exist."

"It exists! I've heard Silver talk of it." He barked, standing up.

"It exist_ed_." Charlotte barked back, holding his glare. "It blew up. No one walked away with any of the Trove. We barely walked away with our lives."

"And that shiny new inn that you work at." Ice gripped Charlotte's heart when she realized how much he knew.

"Donated by the Doctor after the trip."

"Bullshit." Charlotte winced.

"Listen, even if the planet still existed, I don't know how to get there. I never did."

"But you were there-"

"I went along for the goddamn ride! I was a kitchen maid, _a cook_, you think I was privy to the navigation?" Charlotte was angry now, angrier than she had been before. This moron had kidnapped her from her bed for a burnt up rock full of nothing. "Take me home." She growled.

"You're going to tell me the truth!" Marks seemed to grow as he bellowed at her.

"That is the truth!" Charlotte yelled back. Marks hand flew free, the back of his hand crashing across her face so hard that Charlotte saw stars.

"You're going to tell me the fucking truth or you're going to rot down here." Marks yelled so loudly Charlotte thought they walls might shake and then he stormed out of the cell, slamming the door behind him.

The pounding in her head increased again and Charlotte laid back down, closing her eyes. How would she placate a mad pirate chasing the ghost of a planet?

* * *

"I have to go looking for her." Jim said determinedly to Amelia.

"Jim, I understand, I do. But I don't believe that you're in any emotional state to Captain a vessel right now." Amelia looked at him sadly but Jim shook the look off.

"Please, Amelia, I-I can't just sit here." Jim fought the wave of emotion that was threatening to over come him. "The longer we sit here and wait for those hunks of metal to find something useful, the further away the people that took her are getting." Amelia stared down at her tea. "You know as well as I do that if we end up more than a week behind them, I'll never get her back."

"Yes, but you can't-"

"That's why I need you to do it. I need you to Captain the vessel. We can use the ship I've been assigned. _The Venus_ is small, but she's fast." Amelia seemed to be seriously contemplating it. Doctor Doppler came from the kitchen with Sarah and a tray full of sandwiches.

"So, what's the plan?" Delbert asked and Jim's eyes flickered with amusement. Of course he would know what Jim was thinking.

"Jim, I want to help, but the children..." Amelia glanced to her husband.

"I'll stay, I'll be with them. Sarah can help!" He smiled a little too wide, showing that he was as worried as Amelia about how well he could for the litter. Sarah nodded sadly, fearing Jim's departure.

"We don't even know where to start, Jim." Amelia sounded frustrated.

"I plan to head to the space port and get a record of ships that have left this morning. They can't have shipped out more than an hour or two ago. I doubt that _everyone_ at the port missed a group of pirates carrying off a naked young woman." Jim growled the last part.

"Pirates?" Sarah gasped.

"I assume so. We do have a record of making them unhappy." Jim said, dropping his head into his hands. There was silence between the group for a moment before Jim jumped up from the table and headed upstairs. He came back down with his still packed duffel from the academy and his pistol holstered at his hip.

"I understand if you can't come. I would rather have someone with good sense in charge of this mission, but I will go with or without you. I've already sent word to my crew that I need them for an emergency mission, they'll be there before I will." Jim walked to his mother and kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry." He said and turned to Delbert. "Keep her safe." And he turned to leave.

"Jim." Amelia called to him as his hand fell on the doorknob. He glanced over his shoulder at her. "I'll be at the ship in an hour. Find some good leads at the spaceport in the meantime." Jim smiled at her, nodding and stepping outside. "And, Jim," he stopped again, "I can't do this if you're not able to be a functioning first mate."

"Yes, ma'am." Jim nodded again and took off toward the ferry.


	3. Chapter 3

It was several hours before Charlotte saw anyone again. She'd felt the launch, rose off the bed a bit when gravity had failed and crashed back down onto it painfully when the artificial gravity had been instated. Her head started to clear slowly, the pain fading to a dull ache under her left temple.

With her eyes closed she heard the stomping sound of someone approaching the cell bars.

"I need a heading, Charlie." Marks said, sounding frustrated but much calmer then when he'd left earlier.

"Ask someone else." Charlotte growled without opening her eyes. Marks sighed in aggravation and something soft landed on top of Charlotte. Her eyes flew open and she grasped at the thin fabric on her side. It was a weather worn white tunic. A bit thread bare, but long and loose. Charlotte looked at Marks skeptically but slipped the shirt over her head. The bottom hem just rubbed on Charlotte's thigh and she was pretty sure you could see through it, but it was better than being naked in front of this man.

"You can bribe me with clothes and food all you want but I don't have a heading to give you. I don't know how to get to Treasure Planet. Besides that, it isn't there anymore. It exploded, in case you didn't hear me the first time." Marks glared at her through the bars.

"I don't think you understand. I'm done being nice. Tell me how to get where I want to go, or I will break you." His voice dropped low and dripped with malice. "But before I break you, we're still close enough to Montressor that I could blow that inn to microscopic bits." He looked serious. But that meant nothing.

"You're lying." Charlotte said through her grit teeth, trying to call the pirates bluff. Marks stared her down for a second and then threw the cell open. He came forward and grabbed Charlotte's arm before she could think to move away and dragged her painfully up the stairs to the deck of the ship. The boat was about as big as _The Legacy_ had been, but with a slightly smaller staff from what Charlotte took in as Marks dragged her up to the top deck. The pirates on board all hooted and whistled at the half-naked woman as she passed, shouting obscene things at her. When they reached the deck, Marks spun her so that she could see her planet of the starboard side.

The planet seemed to glow, the sun on the far side of it giving it a halo of light. Marks hadn't been bluffing, they could be back at the inn within a few hours. Using his vice like grip on her arm, Marks tossed Charlotte at the railing of the ship painfully. There was going to be no convincing this man. There was only going to be doing what he told her to and making sure he needed to keep her alive. But right now she needed to get them far enough away from Jim and his family that the only person Marks could hurt would be her.

"When we launched, it was summer and we headed the same direction as the Orcus migration." Charlotte spun around and pointed to what she could figure was north. When she turned around she could see Marks smiling again, that dark smile.

"And?"

"And, that's all I can remember right now. I'll try to remember more." She said, tugging at the hem of the tunic.

"Fine." He grabbed her once more and lead her down to the brig, shouting out the new heading as we went.

* * *

When Jim scaled the gangplank to _The Venus_ he could see the crew bustling around in preparation for an unknown mission. Alec Thomas, Jim's best friend though out the academy stood up on the top deck with Amelia, looking weary of the presence the cat-woman struck. Amelia had donned her old uniform, and once again looked intimidating for her size. Beside her, the broad young man looked more like a child than a naval officer.

"Mr. Hawkins. Glad you could join us. May I speak to you in the stateroom?" With a curt nod, Jim joined Amelia into the captains quarters, leaving Alec looking puzzled. Once the door was closed, Amelia faced Jim. Her posture sagged a bit to show the informality, but Jim stood straight.

"What did you find?" She asked, her ears perked a bit, showing her interest.

"A ship left port this morning, _The Baron_. Captained by Jonathan Marks. They landed in port last night and left early this morning. While most inventory was logged, the port master did see them carry something covered in a tarp on board without logging it. They then proceeded to leave port without proper clearance." Amelia nodded through his lead.

"And you're sure this is them?"

"Not 100%," Jim admitted. "but it's the best lead we have."

"Alright, Mr. Hawkins. They went?"

"North, after orbiting for a while."

"North is a vague heading..." Amelia's ears drooped a bit and she leaned back against the desk behind her.

"There was another thing. One of the spacers at the port said they knew of _The Baron_. Said they spent a lot of time on Kinapsis at a pub run by an old cyborg." Jim stared at Amelia unflinchingly as her head snapped up at the mention. Her eyes narrowed.

"Silver?" She spit out.

"I don't know for sure. Sounds like it." Jim steeled his shoulders "I want to stop there."

"What? Absolutely not." Amelia yelled.

"Just hear me out. I know you don't like him. But I have a feeling in my gut that this has something to do with him. I need to talk to him, see if he knows this pirate. If we don't get a more specific destination we could be drifting through space forever." Jim took a deep breath. "Please, Captain."

"Fine." Amelia sighed after a few tense minutes. "We stop, you and your Quartermaster can go and check it out. I'll give you one hour. Just one." Jim nodded. "Now let's go address your crew.

"Ladies! Gentleman! Assemble on the deck for briefing." Jim bellowed to the crew and within a few moments the small crew was standing in a line across the main deck. Jim observed them as they stood straight and orderly.

Alec was first, one of the few in his uniform, the red jacket clashing with his ginger hair. Beside him was Rose McIntosh, the navigator and pilot. She was small but held a sharpness in her yellow eyes that was startling. Her skin was tinted a pale pink and her short pixie hair seemed to be more fur than hair and was only a few shades darker than her skin. She didn't wear her uniform, just a short tank top and shorts with ankle boots. Beside Rose was Rory and Laira Smith, the Doctor and Mechanic. Brother and Sister, they resembled each other in features, both having long dark green dreads that hung down their back. Rory had his tied back tightly and was wearing his white uniform while Laira let her tentacle like dreads lay spread across her shoulders and back with her red and white stripped tee showing under her jumpsuit, the top half of which was wrapped around her waist.

Beside the friends and crew members that Jim knew were a five men and woman who Jim had seen at the academy but did not know personally. The had been assigned to the crew and Alec must have contacted them at the hearing of Jim's call to arms.

"Thank you for coming so quickly. I understand what an inconvenience this is, having just graduated." Jim started, standing before them authoritatively. Amelia stood beside him and observed the crew. "I should tell you that this is not a mission requested or sanctioned by the Intergalatic Navy." Jim swallowed hard. "After hearing my request, you are welcome to leave if you are not comfortable with the mission." Alec caught Jim's eye looking confused and motioning to Amelia with his eyes but Jim shook him off.

"This morning, Charlotte Collins was kidnapped from her apartment." Jim's voice broke as he said it.

"Wait, your girlfriend?" Laira chimed in and Jim nodded. Everyone's faces shifted to concern and Jim faltered, sadness washing over him again.

"Mr. Hawkins." Amelia interrupted. "Go inspect the vessel, see that we're prepared to take off." Jim nodded and headed up to the top deck to do some inspections. He could hear Amelia's voice carry through the air.

"Mr. Hawkins has pulled up some strong leads and plans to follow them, but due to his emotional connection to the victim he as asked me to step in as Captain for this voyage. I'm Captain Amelia Doppler of the Intergalatic Navy and I will be leading this voyage with the assistance of Jim Hawkins as my first mate." The crew nodded, dumbfounded. "Mr. Thomas, you will act as Quartermaster and second mate, stepping in when Jim is unavailable."

"Yes, Captain."

"I do hope that you will all be understanding of Jim's current situation." Amelia added a bit softer, but Jim could still hear her. "I will be give him a bit of leeway, but that means that those of you that stay will have to step up to the challenge."

"Yes, Captain." The crew chanted in unison, some of them glancing up at Jim where he stood watching.

"Does anyone wish to remain at port?"

"No, Captain." The group chorused.

"Very good. Mr. Hawkins are we prepared to depart?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Very well. Ms. McIntosh, set the heading to Kinapsis Port. Mr. Hawkins, take us out."

* * *

Charlotte stared at the ceiling of her cell for a while. When Marks had first returned her to the brig she'd searched for any sort of weakness in the cell. Unfortunately, Marks must have anticipated having a prisoner, based off of the spots of fresh repair on the cell walls, floor and ceiling. With a frustrated curse, Charlotte had given up, laying down on the cot to try and rest. Before she could fall asleep her thoughts turned to Jim. Was he okay? Did they hurt him when they'd taken her, or killed him? No, Jim would be alright.

"I bet," she whispered to herself, "that he's on his way to find me right now. Leading a fancy boat to the rescue." The thought filled Charlotte with pain instead of hope. Marks struck an intimidating figure and this crew would easily be five times Jim's. They stood no chance. Finally laying her head down, she forced her mind to quiet and she attempted to sleep.

"So much for our weekend alone." Charlotte whispered to herself as she drifted off.

It was a restless sleep, Charlotte rolled and dreamed most of the night, waking up regularly just to stare at the ceiling again. It was cold in the brig with nothing but her tunic to keep her warm, but she refused to call for anything.

Finally, sometime in the early morning, a burly man with a snake head slid a plate of food and a cup of water into her cell. The plate held nothing but a dry biscuit and a purp.

"Thanks." Charlotte called disdainfully up the stairs at the man. When did she last eat? Breakfast at the inn with Jim and Sarah. She'd worked through lunch and dinner had been... skipped. Her captures had brought her nothing yesterday. Though she did not trust the crew, Charlotte knew that she needed the food. Scooping it up off the floor, Charlotte quickly devoured what little she'd been given. It wasn't enough to make her full, just enough to remind her that she was hungry. Frustrated, Charlotte threw the plate and cup back at the cell door and moved to lay down again.

"Good morning, Charlie." Charlotte's lip twitch as Marks came down the stairs calling her nickname.

"What do you want, Marks?"

"Is that any way to treat your captain?" Marks leaned against the bars of the cell, smirking maliciously at Charlotte.

"You're hardly my captain." She spat back, sitting up to face her capture.

"Right, right. Navy boy." The hair on the back of her neck stood up on end. "What's his name again? Jim." Charlotte's eye narrowed at the sound of Jim's name coming from the pirate. "Yeah, Jim. He can't possibly be too worried about you. Wasn't even there when we showed up." Charlotte's glare let up, a questioning look slid across her face for just a moment before she forced composure. "Watched him walk away in the wee hours of the morning. Is the sex that bad?"

"Fuck you." Charlotte spat at the pirate, refusing to look away from him.

"Easy now, girlie. No need to use such language. I just came down here to get some directions from you. Tell me what I want and I'll leave you alone." Charlotte had racked her brain for something to tell the pirate. If she gave him too much, they'd get too far away from rescue but if she didn't tell him enough she's suffer for it.

"We sailed past a star." She said, grudgingly, "it went supernova as we passed."

"I'm supposed to know a specific star that went supernova four years ago?" The hint of frustration was back. His dark eyes got darker and creases between his eyebrows deepened.

"If you bring me some charts I could figure out which one it was. I'll compare the old charts with the current ones." It was the star Pelusa, in the Naxian galaxy. It was also now a blackhole. But Marks didn't need to know the details.

"Compare charts..." Marks said contemplatively, "You wouldn't be buying time, would you Charlie?" He opened up the cell, storming in and grabbing Charlotte by the arms tightly. The grip hurt and this sudden charge surprised her. Marks lifted the girl off the bed, slamming her back against the side of the cell. Charlotte felt the impact throughout her body, the stars danced across her vision once again. Dangling in his grip her feet kicked wildly, trying to find ground but he held her eye level with him, a good foot of the ground.

"Tell me the truth. Tell me how to get to the planet. No stalling, no lies." Each sentence he slammed her back against the wall again and Charlotte cried out.

"It doesn't matter! It's not there." She cried, trying to clear her head. With a wild kick, Charlotte hit Marks between his legs with desperate strength. He cursed and dropped Charlotte, her knees splitting as she hit the rough wood floor. Marks sat clutching himself and Charlotte took the opportunity, rushing for the door of the cell. She reached it before Marks could gain his composure, slamming it closed as he cursed.

"Come back here, you fucking whore!" He bellowed and Charlotte made her way up the stairs. She turned, heading to the stairs near the aft where the life boats would be held. As she jumped down the steps she stumbled and rolled down the last few, knocking what little breath she had out of her. Fighting for breath she pushed herself up and ran for a boat. She could hear Marks yelling and the sound of footsteps coming to his aid.

Maneuvering the boat over the opening Charlotte opened the hatch and began lower the boat down until she was out of the ship. As she descended the last few feet she started adjusting the controls to open the solar sail and prepare to take off. The pirates were now yelling over her head, shouting and firing at her.

"Just fucking hit her!" She heard Marks yell over the crew and looked up just in time to see him take aim at her. Flicking her eyes back to the controls she rushed to get the boat started, her fingers fumbled and shook and she was having trouble hitting the right button when she heard the shot.

Immediately there was a blinding pain in her right shoulder. The force of the shot sent Charlotte flying forward toward the bow of the life boat. Her head hit the wood and she started to fade into the darkness that swirled into her vision. Above, she heard Marks shouting.

"Well, don't just stand there, go get her."


	4. Chapter 4

They made it to Kinapsis in two days, hunting down the pub in a matter of hours. As Jim and Alec walked off the ship, Amelia stood frowning at the wheel, the rest of the crew taking some time to relax on the deck.

"How far to the pub?" Alec asked casually.

"Little more than a mile. Won't take long." Jim said, staring straight ahead. His mind wandered once again to Charlotte. She'd been gone for almost three days.

"You worried about her?" Alec interrupted his thoughts.

"Just thinking strategy." Jim lied

"Bull. Man, come on, don't lie to me." Alec said, staring at the side of Jim's face. Jim refused to turn. "You've hardly said a word these past few days. You refuse to rest when Captain tell you to. You haven't eaten."

"Of course I'm worried about her!" Jim spat frustrated. "Charlotte was kidnapped by pirates!" Saying it out loud made it that much more real. Jim shook his head.

"We're going to find her, Jim." Alec said, still staring at Jim.

"I have to." Was all he could say, his hand once again gripping the ring box in his pocket.

The rest of the walk was quiet and when they reached the pub they could tell that it had just opened up. The Inside was dark, old rotted wood made up most of the tables and the bar. Although it had just opened there was a good deal of old gritty looking spacers sitting around the room. None of them looked up as the boys entered the pub, but the bartender called over his shoulder.

"Help yer selves to a table." Jim knew the voice, the lit of his accent. Before Alec say anything, Jim had marched off to the bar.

"Silver." Jim said, fighting between being happy to see him and suspicious.

"Jimbo?" Silver turned around. Although it had been four years, he didn't look any older. He was still space-worn and full of metal parts, but he looked cleaner and happy. "Well look at 'cha! All grown up and distinguished!" Silver called, ambling around the bar to hug Jim. His grip was tight and Jim returned it gladly.

"And who's this one?" Silver motioned to Alec.

"Alec Thomas." Alec threw out his hand but hesitated when Silver responded, pulling out his cybernetic arm.

"Nice to meet'cha lad! Jimbo, how's Charlie? You two still a pair or no?" Alec cleared his throat and Jim stared at the floor uncomfortable.

"Silver I need to ask you a few questions?" Jim said, pulling Silver to a table behind them, but Silver wouldn't sit, so the three men stood.

"Questions, Jimbo?" Silver asked, sounding jovial but Jim knew better. He was suspicious too.

"Silver, I wish I was here on a social visit." Jim said, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "But do you know a Captain by the name of Jonathan Marks?"

"Johnny? The ol' Shape-shifter from the Proteus system? Of course, 'e's a regular." Silver said, looking at the pair calculatingly.

"What does he come here for?" Jim was trying to control is excitement.

"'e comes to drink, Jimbo, 'tis a pub."

"Does he come here for anything else?" Alec asked, now curious.

"'e likes to listen to my stories, the ones about... well ye know." Silver dropped his voice.

Marks was interested in Treasure Planet? Jim's mind spun. Could this really be about Treasure Planet?

"Is he interested in Treasure Planet?" Jim was nearly shouting.

"O' course 'e is! Who isn't. I don't tell people the part about the booby trap, though. Takes away from the legend." Silver laughed. Jim lost control, He grabbed Silver by the shirt and shook him a bit.

"Did you tell Marks about me, about Charlie?" Jim yelled in Silver's face.

"Well, I mentioned ye went with me, that she worked for me." Jim's fist released Silver's shirt, flying and making contact with his jaw instead.

"Jimbo! Shit, what're ye doin'?" Silver yelled, pushing Jim away from him at the same time that Alec grabbed Jim's arms and pulled him back.

"He took her! He fucking took her. You told him about her and he fucking took her from her bed." Jim was yelling, pulling and straining against Alec's grip while Alec pulled Jim out of the club. Silver had been the reason that this man had taken Charlotte. He was after Treasure Planet and he was using her to get there.

"Sorry, we'll go." Alec called as other spacers stood to defend the pub owner but Silver was pushing them back down. Soon Alec had Jim outside, sitting him down on the bench in the front.

"You've got to calm down, mate!" Alec said standing in front of Jim so that he couldn't get up. But Jim didn't want to, he dropped his head into his hands and tried to breath. All of this was because of that stupid planet. He'd almost lost her once there and now he was losing her again because of the same place.

"Jimbo?" Silver was standing there now, but Jim couldn't bring himself to look up at him. "Jimbo, what do you mean 'e took her?"

"I left her for an hour or so that morning, almost three days ago, and when I came back she was gone. Marks and his crew broke into her apartment and took her out of her bed while I was gone."

"Aw, Jimbo..." Silver sighed, but Jim could hear the aggravation in Silver's voice. Charlotte had worked for him for far longer than Jim had. Silver would be worried about her too. There was a long silence, and Jim finally looked up from his hands. Alec was standing there awkwardly while Jim and Silver stared blankly.

"If Johnny took 'er, ye can bet 'e thinks she knows how to get ter the trove."

"I thought there was no trove." Alec added looking confused.

"There isn't." Jim said.

"But Johnny don't know that." Silver grimaced.

"They headed north, so Charlotte must have told them something." Alec added. Jim nodded but he couldn't figure out what she would have told them.

"Charlie never knew the way, what would she have told them?" Silver questioned. Thinking back to that launch day, Jim remembered the take off, watching Charlie climb the shrouds, the Orcus above the ship.

"The Orcus migration!" Jim said, surprising both of the other men. "We watched them over the ship, heading in the same direction as us."

"So the pirates are chasing space whales to Treasure Planet?" Alec asked, still confused.

"We should go. We might still catch them." Jim stood up, turning to look back at Silver. "I'm sorry."

"Go get 'er, Lad. Bring her back. I'll be in touch." Jim nodded and hugged the old cyborg. Turning Alec and Jim headed back to the ship.

"Jimbo!" Silver called and Jim turned to face him. "I know Johnny, and I know how 'e gets information. If Charlie told 'im a heading, it's not because 'e asked nice." Jim nodded, hold down his fear and turned, picking up the pace.

* * *

When the crew had retrieved the long boat and Charlotte, Marks had grabbed her out by her injured shoulder. The pain revived Charlie and she'd woken up screaming in pain. Although a laser pistol shot would cauterize instantly and there was little blood, there as still a gaping wound on Charlotte's right shoulder and Marks was using it to lead her back to the brig. Charlotte stumbled along beside him, trying to relieve the pressure of his grasp but the pain kept her from catching her footing. She could feel the hot tears pouring down her face as Marks threw her in the cell, she hit hard against the metal cot that stuck out of the wall, screaming again.

"You shouldn't have done that, Charlie." Marks was kneeling before her, pure rage in his eyes. Outside the cell, ten or so of the crew that had retrieved her from the life boat stood watching. "I told you that I would break you." Charlotte tried to look away from him but he grabbed her jaw painfully in his hand, tugging her back to face him. "You're going to tell me how to get to the trove. And then, maybe afterward, I'll put you out of your misery." He released her face sharply, grabbing the neck line of the tunic and pulling a knife out with the other hand. Slowly he dragged the knife across the tunic, and the skin of Charlotte's chest. The blade slide down and Charlotte whimpered as it left a cut down between her breast, over her ribs and down to her belly button. Once the tunic was completely split, Marks stood and left the cell, leaving the door open.

"Have at her." He called over his shoulder to the crew that stood behind him and climbed the stairs. The crew moved into the cell.

* * *

Jim stood against the railing of the deck, staring into the etherium. The crew had picked up the pace after Alec and him had gotten back. Laira assured him and the Captain that they could close the gap in a day, maybe two. After that Amelia had ordered Jim down to the quarters to rest, but Jim didn't feel like sleeping.

As he stood there, Jim pulled the ring box out of his pocket and opened in. Laying in the box was a simple white gold band with one small diamond. Some would think that it was too simple, but it was all Charlotte would want. He stared at the ring, his mind once again picturing what it would look like on Charlotte's hand, the look on her face when he asked her. He could see her so clearly in his mind.

"I thought you'd be asleep." Rory said from his spot suddenly behind Jim. He had a been in the galley cleaning up from dinner when Jim had been excused. Jim rushed to close the ring box, tucking it away in his pocket.

"You were going to propose." Rory stated, shock evident in his voice. "I knew you two had been together a while, but I hadn't realized." Jim shrugged his shoulders, staring out in to space. "When?"

"I went for a walk because I wasn't sure that I should, I wanted to think." Jim said, finally telling the whole story. "If I'd hadn't gone out, I would have been there to protect her. This never would have happened." his voice shook with the effort of holding back his guilt. "This is my fault."

"No, it couldn't be your fault." Rory patted Jim's shoulder. "They probably would have taken you both." Rory said awkwardly, trying to help but Jim laughed darkly.

"At least if they had, I could have protected her from what ever torture they're using. I actually know the way to the where they want to go. Charlie never did. She always just gets caught up in the trouble I create." Rory looked down at his hands, while Jim spoke. "And I want to ask her to marry me so that I can take off and leave her unprotected." Jim shook his head. "No, I'm going to get her back and I'm going to make sure she's safe, and then I'm going to leave her alone so that I can't cause her pain anymore." Jim pulled the ring box out of his pocket and moved to throw it off the railing.

"Jim!" Rory yelled, moving to stop him but he was too slow. As Jim moved to release, the ring box disappeared from his hand.

"Mr. Hawkins, what on earth are you doing?" Amelia was behind him, the ring box in her gloved hand.

"Give me that Amelia." Jim growled. Rory looked shocked as Jim addressed the Captain so informally, and Jim watched him turn and head back to the galley. "You don't understand-"

"I understand that girl loves you. I know that she doesn't blame you for what happened." Amelia said, moving to lean on the railing. "I know that you don't want to let her go." Jim couldn't stay angry, his shoulders dropped and the sadness came back.

"We're going to get her back, Jim. And if Silver is right, she's going to need your help to get through this. You need to stow your overwhelming need to blame yourself and just be there. And I need you to get actual rest. I know you've been ignoring me when I tell you to."

"I'm sorry." Jim said, looking down at her.

"I need you to prepare yourself. Marks is going to have a much larger crew than us, it's not going to be easy getting her out of there. If you're not 100% we don't stand a chance." Amelia was being honest.

"Yes, Ma'am." Jim said, heading off to bed.

"Wait." Amelia caught up to him, took his hand and placed the ring box back into it. "Hold on to this." And before he could say anything else, she was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Time seemed to not matter. For a while it felt like hours that she lay there, that they moved her around. That they pawed and tore at her. That the took her. But then it felt like time had stopped. She'd watched the sun go down through the cracks in the side of the ship, and now she was watching it come back up. The last of them had finally left, leaving Charlotte on the filthy cot. She couldn't move, she just lay the way they had left her. Her face was tear stained and there was blood drying on her split lip, the re-opened cut on her head, the slit from the knife that ran the full length of her torso. Everywhere felt bruised.

"Charlie?" A voice called down the stairs quietly. "Charlie are you down there?" In her mind, something clicked. That voice was Jim.

"Jim?" Her voice cracked, barely a whisper from the screaming.

"Charlie!" From the stairway came Jim, He looked tired and stressed but ecstatic to hear her voice. He came running to the cell. "Charlie, I'm going to get you out of here." He produced the key out of his jacket and entered the cell. "Charlie, come on, get up!" Charlotte tried to move but everything hurt. Sitting up re-opened the cut on her chest and she cried out.

"Charlie?" Jim was standing still, looking at her. "What happened to you, you look awful."

"Jim, please -" Charlotte cried, trying to stand up.

"Charlotte, did they... did they rape you?" She looked into his eyes but she didn't see the sadness that she was expecting.

"Jim?" Charlotte felt scared, and lost. How could he look at her like that? Why wasn't he helping her up.

"Was that your plan, to just let all those men have you until I could come rescue you?" Jim sat up and backed away from her.

"What-Jim? I didn't let them, I couldn't stop them." Charlotte cried, staring at Jim in terror.

"Is that the person that you are? Just some pirate trash?" Jim was yelling at her. Charlotte couldn't say anything, she just stared at him, her heart broken. How could he say these things? He had always said he loved her, he'd be there for her, but now.

"If you're just going to let them use you like that then you sure as hell will let me have you again." Jim looked almost evil, his blue eyes narrowed darkly. "If you want me to help you get out of here."

"Jim?" Charlotte whimpered. "Jim, please, take me home. Please." He was moving closer to her, quickly. "Jim?"

* * *

"Jim! Jim, wake up!" Rose was standing over his hammock, yelling at him.

"What!" Jim shot up, falling out of the hammock and look up at the pink girl above him.

"Jim, we spotted _The Baron_, they appear to be no more than half a day in front of us. The Captain would like to discuss what your plans are for when we're in range." Rose was laughing at him a bit, but turned and left for the helm before he could say anything. Pulling his boots and jacket on, Jim headed for Amelia's stateroom.

"Good morning, Mr. Hawkins." Amelia called as Jim walked in, Alec was already in the room.

"Good morning."

"Ms. McIntosh has calculated that we should be with in range of _The Baron_ within six hours. What would you like to recommend as a plan of attack?" Amelia asked.

"Stealth," was all Jim said.

"You're worried they'll use Charlotte against you if they see you coming." Alec filled in.

"Or just kill her." Jim added bitterly and Amelia frowned.

"So we use the life boats, come up underneath them so they don't see us coming. Drift up and board when they're all sleeping." Amelia suggested. Alec nodded.

"We'll need to drop down now, get in position behind and below them and then follow them until the stop for the night. When most of the crew has gone to bed we can sneak on and pull Charlie out. I don't want to do anything that will put her in danger." Jim pushed the hair out of his face, sighing at the thought.

"I agree. Mr. Thomas, please go inform Ms. McIntosh of the plan, and the rest of the crew." Alec nodded to both of them respectfully and left.

"Are you ready for this, Jim?" Amelia asked once the door was closed.

"Yeah."

* * *

"Evening, Princess!" Marks called cheerfully down the stairs. Charlotte was laying, unmoved since Jim had left her in the brig. Her crying took hours to stop and her heart was utterly broken. Combined with all of the physical pain, Charlie seemed to be slipping into shock.

"You look a little tired, Charlie. Didn't get any sleep."

"It was the star Pelusa." Charlie whispered in her cracking voice.

"Excuse me?" Marks asked, smirking.

"The star that went supernova, Pelusa, it's a black-hole now. Should be easy to find. We turned east after the supernova and went straight that way for a few more weeks."

"Pelusa, that's two weeks from here." Marks said out loud and Charlie nodded.

"You've been most helpful, Charlie." Marks sneered. "But, you know, you should really clean yourself up. You look awful." With a bitter laugh, he left up the stairs.

It felt as if Charlotte should cry, but she couldn't make her body do it, she just curled on her side slowly, barely wincing at the pain.

* * *

Most of the deck lights had turned off a few hours ago. Sometime in the evening the boat had speed up and Jim's heart gave pang, knowing that Marks had gotten something else out of Charlotte. The life boat held Jim and Captain Amelia, Alec, Laira, Rose and Rory. The rest of the crew had stayed aboard the ship with strict orders to leave if the they were not back in three hours. With the power off, Jim guided the boat to the deck of the ship quietly, feeling a pang of deja vu. Nodding to Amelia and Alec, he peered over the edge of the boat to see no one on the deck. Quickly pulling himself on board, he grabbed Amelia's hand and helped her to the deck.

"Go on." Amelia whispered, turning to pull Alec and the others aboard. They were going to guard the boat, disable the laser canons, and wait for him to come back. Pulling out his pistol, Jim hurried to the stairs to the lower decks, assuming that the brig would the furthest down.

As he slid down the stairs into the crew quarters he slowed, carefully not to make any noise. The crew were mostly asleep although he could see a few of them playing cards in the back corner by a small light. Carefully, Jim continued down the stairs to the storage level. Through the boxes, he could see another stairwell, but the one he was on continued to go down, so he stayed where he was and kept moving forward.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Jim started seeing the bars of a cell.

"Charlie?" He called, hopefully into the darkness. It was stupid to do so, he knew that, but he wanted her to know he was coming.

* * *

It was Jim's voice that called down the stairs to her. But this time she didn't answer. Why had he come back? To hurt her more? She watched him come down the stairs quietly.

"Charlie? Is that you?" He called, nearly running to the cell. "Oh god, Charlie!" He called, throwing himself against the bars of the cell.

* * *

She was covered in blood, dried and some fresh. Her hair was knotted and limp against her face. She was curled, naked and hurt on the cot in the cell and she was trying not to look at him.

"Charlie? Are you okay?" As he said it, he was realized that he was crying. "Charlie, answer me. Please!" Her eyes finally flicked to his, holding an acute pain that made his heart seize. "I'm going to get you out of here. I'm going to take you home." He pulled himself up, charging his pistol to use the laser to saw through the lock. He'd abandoned his stealth in his rushed need to get her off of this ship.

When the lock broke the door swung open and Charlotte winced.

"Charlie, can you stand?" Jim asked, coming to her side. She flinched away from him. She had cuts on her lip and face, one on her chest that disappeared under her arms, and a few on her arm and thighs. On her shoulder there was a dark, burnt wound that Jim placed as a laser pistol and there was bruises covering almost every inch of her skin. Her thighs held dark bruises that made anger swell in his throat. He now knew what made her flinch away from him the way that she did.

"Charlie, I'm going to sit you up okay?" Jim said quietly, afraid she'd break at the sound of his voice.

* * *

His eyes held sadness, and love. So different from last night. Gently, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her up into a sitting position. Ever nerve screamed but no sound came from her lips.

Slowly, Jim removed his jacket and Charlotte felt a whimper escape her lips. Jim stopped, looking into her eyes.

"It's okay. I promise. Here." He said, sounding so sad. He gently pulled her arms away from her chest, in the process she could see him eying the full knife wound on her chest. He guided her arm into the jacket, moving it around and doing the same with the other side. It was long on her, about as long as the tunic had been. He zipped it up to her throat, slowly. And looked up to meet her eyes.

"Charlie, I'm going to pick you up, Amelia and the crew are waiting on deck. We have to be quiet."

* * *

Jim slid his arms around Charlotte's frame, which now felt more fragile than it ever had. She whimpered again at his touch but quieted quickly. Jim rushed to the top deck, moving quickly and quietly but only glancing at the sleeping crew for a moment. Upon reaching the deck, Jim rushed to the side railing to see his friends standing tensely around the area and that Rory was still in the life boat. As they approached they smiled, only to take it back when Charlotte became more apparent to them.

"Oh, Charlie." Amelia gasped, moving to Jim's side to see her better. "Has she said anything?" She said, brushing a matted stand of hair out of Charlotte's eyes. She appeared to be looking at Amelia, but barely acknowledge the fact.

"No." Jim said sadly.

"You know," A voice called from behind them. Everyone tensed and Jim turned, "if you wanted her, you could have just asked. I'd have given the little slut back to you. I don't need her now." The man who must have been Marks was standing alone behind him on the deck staring at them. Jim's body boiled with rage at the sight of Marks smug face.

"Stand back." Alec called, him and the crew training their weapons on Marks. He held his hands up in innocence.

"You should probably know one thing before you go, though." Marks held laughter in his voice.

"And what's that?" Jim spat. He lowered Charlotte to the ground, Amelia kneeling beside her to hold her up. Jim stepped forward, pistol in hand. A pistol that had never shot anyone.

"After the crew had her, You did." Marks laughed. As he spoke his body shifted and changed until Jim was staring at himself. His friends gasped behind him.

* * *

"You came to save her, but when you saw. You called her trash. And you fucked her. And she cried." It was Jim's voice, but Charlotte could see Jim in front of her, and then a Jim in front of him, where Marks had been. Her mind spun and she felt dizzy as she listened.

"She begged you. 'Jim, stop, please.' 'Take me home.' 'Jim, you're hurting me.'" Marks mocked her in Jim's voice. " And then, when you were done, you left her here to rot."

Jim, her Jim, said nothing, he just raised his pistol and fired. The laser blast caused Charlotte to scream, she flinched back into Amelia. When the noise had stopped, Jim came and scooped Charlotte off the deck, handing her to a friend who lowered her into a life boat. The others jumped in, and the turned to leave. The last thing Charlotte saw on the deck was Marks body, sprawled on the deck.


	6. Chapter 6

When they returned to _The Venus_, Jim carried Charlotte down to the infirmary. Behind him, Amelia called to Rose to get the ship headed back home as fast as it could possibly go.

"Put her down on the table, and get that jacket off of her." Rory called, pulling supplies out of the cupboards. Jim set Charlotte down carefully on the table, bending down so that he was looking in her eyes.

"I'm going to take this off now, Charlie." She didn't acknowledge him. "We're going to get you fixed up and take you home, okay?" Jim was talking so softly that he almost couldn't hear himself as he took the jacket off of Charlie, leaving her injuries exposed. Amelia and Laira, who'd followed Jim, gasped at her state.

"Laira," Rory called as he filled a bowl with warm water, "I'm going to need you help me clean her off, I can't stitch her up until we can see the full extent of the wounds." Laira nodded and rushed to wash her hands and help as Jim watched.

"Captain, Jim, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Rory said, preparing an injection to put Charlotte out during the process. "Please." Amelia turned for the stairs.

"Jim?" Rory said with a hint of warning in his voice. Jim walked to Charlotte's side, leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Charlotte's forehead. She flinched against him. Sighing sadly, Jim turned and left the infirmary.

For several hours Jim sat near the helm, Alec beside him, staring into space. He wanted to shake the image of Charlotte's broken form from his mind. He'd think back to the way she looked when he'd slipped out of bed that morning, laying peaceful and healthy. But the image would quickly change to the Charlotte that laid downstairs, bloodied and fearful.

"Jim," Alec said, smacking Jim in the shoulder to get his attention and then pointing to the stairs. Rory and Laira were coming up to the deck. Laira looked upset, her eyes red from crying, and Rory looked exhausted. When Jim saw them emerge on the deck, he jumped the railing to meet them.

"Is she okay?" Jim said, anxious.

"She should be." Rory sighed. "She suffered some blood loss, The gun wound is going to scar, as will the knife cut on her torso. The rest appear to be from blunt impacts and should heal fine if we keep them clean and covered. She has to rest and heal." Jim nodded. "Emotionally, it might be longer before she's okay." Jim's face fell, but he nodded again.

"Can I see her?" Jim asked, his eyes red.

"You can go down there, but she's out. She will be for awhile. If I have my way, she'll be out till we get her back to Montressor." Rory said. Jim turned away and headed down the stairs.

In the dimmed light of the infirmary, Jim could see Charlie laying on the table. She was hooked up to a drip IV now, a blanket lay over her stomach and legs, and all her wounds wrapped. He'd hoped that she would look better now that they'd cleaned her up, but she didn't. With the grime gone, the bruises looked more vivid. Her face was swollen, and every inch of skin that was visible was black and blue. Tears filled Jim's eyes again and he moved to the side of the table, pulling the blanket up to her shoulders.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, stroking her hair back from her face gently. "I'm so sorry." Jim's other hand dropped to Charlotte's beat up hand, running his fingers over the broken nails and busted skin on her knuckles.

"I love you." He said, sitting down on a stool beside the bed, not taking his hands off of her.

* * *

It was dark, where ever Charlotte was, she was standing in a dark room. Standing to her left was Jim, a rusted key in his hand. He smiled at her with narrow eyes. On her right was another Jim, this one held his open hand out to her, looking sad.

"Charlie? It's going to be okay." The right one said, yelling over the other Jim.

"Whore. Trash." The other yelled at Charlotte, gripping the key tighter in his hand. Charlotte turned to the Jim on her right, the one with the sad eyes but before she could run to him the image changed.

She was in the cell, she could feel Jim moving above and she was crying.

"Jim, stop." She cried and looked into his eyes. But they weren't his blue eyes, they were dark and full of menace. They were Marks eyes. Jim faded leaving Marks in his place, laughing evilly as she cried.

Charlotte woke up to screaming. It took a second to realize that it was her. She had pressed herself in the corner of the bed, walls on both of her sides, and was screaming. Looking around she knew that she was in the Benbow immediately, but her body shook with fear despite that. She finally stopped screaming, struggling to catch her breath when Sarah ran into the room.

"Charlie! Charlie, it's okay. It was just a dream." She flew to the bed, scooping up the shaking Charlotte into her arms and holding her close. "shh, it's alright. It was just a nightmare. You're safe." Sarah said, rocking her gently. It hurt to be held so tight, but Charlotte didn't want to be let go. She clung to Sarah's dress tightly, and cried.

"How did I get here?" Charlotte asked finally, still holding to Sarah tightly.

"They brought you here after they landed. It's been two weeks." Charlotte felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. Two weeks, she'd slept for two weeks?

"The medicine Rory had you on was pretty strong, kept you very out of it. You'd wake a bit, but were never very coherent." Sarah pulled back a little, brushing Charlotte's hair back from her face and smiling at her. "They took you off the medicine yesterday. He said you may have some nightmares now that you were sleeping on your own." The smile was sad.

Charlotte finally let go of Sarah, trying to sit up on her own. Her body ached all over, but just looking at her arms she could see that she was getting better. Most of the bruises had healed up, but she was still wrapped in bandages. Sarah sat with her as she silently inspected herself. Turning to the vanity mirror across the room, Charlotte could see her greasy hair hanging in strings around her face and flinched.

"Would you like me run a bath for you?" Sarah asked softly. "Rory said it might help you feel a bit better." Charlie nodded and Sarah disappeared into the connected bathroom. As the water ran, Charlotte pulled herself slowly out of bed. It hurt to stand and her muscles felt cramped. She wanted to stretch, but just moving gently tugged at the stitches on her chest and shoulder, she could feel them. Limping carefully to the mirror Charlotte stared at her reflection. Her eyes looked dead, her lip was no longer swollen but there was a pale pink line across it.

"Charlie, it's ready." Charlotte flinched at the nickname, but tried to swallow the feelings it brought up. It had been her nickname before this and it would continue to be. He couldn't ruin that for her. Turning, Charlotte nodded and Sarah proceeded to help her unwrap the bandages and climb into the bath.

"I'm going to go out and change the sheets on your bed. Call me when you're ready to wash your hair. Rory said you shouldn't try to do it on your own." Charlotte nodded and watched as Sarah left the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

The water was starting to get cold, but the lavender scent of the soap was soothing. Charlotte lay in the water, her mind blank as she stared at the wall across the way. As she stared her dream began to replay in her mind, over and over. How could she have thought that Jim would do that? He'd never act like that, and yet she was so quick to believe that he did. Despite the knowledge that it wasn't Jim, her heart hurt.

"He thinks I believe him capable of something like that." Charlotte whispered to the bath water.

"Charlie?" Sarah knocked on the door. The sound caused Charlotte to jump, her breath seizing in her throat for a moment. She shook the feeling away. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." Charlotte called back, her voice cracking. "I'm ready to wash my hair, if you don't mind."

Now out of the bath, Sarah helped Charlotte get dressed, pulling on a loose nightdress and pulling her wet hair into a long braid. They sat on the bed while Sarah braided Charlotte's thick hair.

"Sarah?"

"hm?"

"Where's Jim?" Charlotte felt Sarah stop braiding for a minute before she continued.

"He's been staying at the Doppler's." She said sadly. "He didn't want to-"

"Make me feel worse." Charlotte finished and Sarah sighed. "I assume he told you what happened." Charlotte whispered.

"Yes." Sarah said sadly. "You must be hungry!" She said, suddenly more light hearted. "Let me go get you something to eat. It might be a little bit, B.E.N's helpful but a slow cook." Charlotte nodded and Sarah slipped out of the room. Outside the window a bird flew back and forth. I have to tell him, Charlotte thought. He needs to know that I think better of him than that.

With determination, Charlotte pulled the nightdress back off and pulled on a loose tunic and soft brown pants. In the corner of the room she spotted her tall, black boots and her satchel. She pulled the shoes on carefully and slipped the bag onto her uninjured shoulder, sliding out the door.

She was careful to keep out of sight of Sarah and the other guests at the inn as she hurried out of the inn.

* * *

Jim was sitting alone in the library by the fire place. Amelia and Delbert left him alone for the most part. Although he was told continuously that he was no trouble, he didn't want to be in their way while he was there. From the library he heard the front door open and quiet voices. It was probably Alec. He had been coming by rather often to check up on Jim. When the door to the library opened behind him, he's suspicions were confirmed.

"Jim?" The voice was soft and scared, but Jim's heart jumped to his throat.

"Charlie?" He was out of the chair before he could control himself, moving towards her quickly. She was clean and dressed, but the bandages on her chest and shoulder peeked out of the neckline of the tunic she wore. As he moved he saw her tense and cursed himself, slowing his pace to make her comfortable.

"Charlie, what are you doing here?" He said, coming to a stop with a good deal of space between them.

"You weren't at the inn," She said matter of factly, "and I needed to..." her words dropped off and she stared at her hands the way she always did when she was nervous. Jim's stomach clinched, fearing the words that were going to come. There was silence for a while, they stood feet apart and Jim watched her. His body screaming for him to scoop her up into his arms but knowing he shouldn't.

"I'm sorry." She said in barely a whisper, Jim's eyes grew wide. She was sorry? Sorry for what?

"What?" He sputtered.

"I know you. I know you wouldn't hurt me. Y-you came all that way to save me- I should have known better-" Jim couldn't control himself. He stepped forward and pulled her to his chest, holding her impossibly close to him. She tensed in his arms, gasping but slowly relaxed.

"Don't ever be sorry to me. Not for this." Jim said sharply. The feeling of her warm body against him, a feeling he never expected to feel again, released the tension he'd been feeling for the better part of a month. As he held her, Charlotte wrapped her arms around his waist and he could feel her nestle her face into his chest. When he felt her shaking he released her hesitantly, but she didn't move.

"Please don't let go." She said in a breaking whisper. Jim obliged, wrapping her in his arms again.

After a while, Jim scooped Charlotte up in his arms and brought her to the arm chair he'd been sitting in. He settled into it, Charlotte in his lap, and continued to hold her. Kissing the top of her head he inhaled the smell of her shampoo and smiled. Later, Amelia and Delbert lead in an exasperated Sarah. Charlotte looked up at her with quilt.

"Sorry, Sarah." She said

* * *

Jim received his ship out orders only a month later, he'd be shipping out in three weeks. Charlotte dreaded his leaving. She'd sold her apartment, she no longer felt safe there. Moving into the Benbow made the most sense at the time, and every night since she would fall asleep in Jim's arms where she felt safe. When the nightmares woke her, he would sit up with her and calm her down. She'd tried to go back to work in the kitchen, but Sarah had insisted she rest more.

Rory came one morning and took the stitches out, a couple weeks before their ship out date. Aside from a few ugly marks, the smaller wounds had healed up well. Rory was working on finding a Doctor in the area to keep an eye on the rest of the healing process when the crew left. And as the days crept closer to when Charlotte would be alone, her anxiety worsened.

* * *

The night before his departure, Jim asked Charlotte to come outside with him, leaving the bustling inn for the calm night air. They stood out back, Charlotte already looking sad.

"I have an idea," Jim started. "That may help us both." Charlotte looked at him questioningly. "Come with me."

"Wait, what?" Charlotte sounded confused. "With you... what to space?"

"I spoke to my superiors, the ship needs a cook. You need Rory to do check-ups." Charlotte nodding along as he presented his evidence, but her expression remained confused.

"And I need to know that you're safe. I need you to be with me." Jim finished and Charlotte's eyes teared up. "You'll be staying in the stateroom with me, not the crew quarters."

"Jim-" Charlotte started but Jim continued.

"I promise that everything will work." Jim felt awkward now, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Jim-"

"You won't be part of the Navy, so you'll be free to leave if it doesn't work out-

"Jim!" Charlotte yelled, placing her hand on his arms. "Of course, I'll go with you. I wouldn't want to be here without you." Jim's smile widened and he pulled Charlotte to him, kissing her. He pulled back as soon as he realized what he'd done. He hadn't kissed her since the kidnapping, he'd wanted to give her time.

"I'm sorry-" Charlotte grabbed his jaw, pulling him back down to her lips. While they kissed, Jim could feel the ring box in his pants pocket. That would have to wait. He'd give her more time.

The End.


End file.
